An Update on Trinity Woods

and Clare Gardens

Trinity Woods

Trinity Woods is an intergenerational housing community at Mount Mary University formed by the three-way partnership between Mount Mary University, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and Milwaukee Catholic Home. It is comprised of 90 independent living apartments, 24 apartments for single mothers who are Mount Mary University students, and 52 Assisted Living apartments that are home to the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

Since opening in December 2021, Trinity Woods has been bustling with lots of exciting events going on that our residents loved! In the summer of 2022 and 2023, we hosted a well-attended outdoor concert series known as Backyard Beats, just as has been done at Milwaukee Catholic Home. Music groups from a variety of genres entertained residents and families while the sun set on our stunning terrace.

To name just a few of the many excursions that took place this past year, Trinity Woods residents enjoyed outings to Clare Gardens, Gilles Frozen Custard, The Pabst Mansion, a boat cruise on Lake Michigan, and a trip to the Black Holocaust Museum. While at home, residents took advantage of the community’s many amenities; they attended art therapy classes, participated in daily Mass, built a butterfly garden, played bocce ball in the courtyard, planted flowers, and enjoyed happy hour every Monday and Friday in the Trio Lounge. Some even audited classes at Mount Mary University.

Clare Gardens

Milwaukee Catholic Home started Clare Gardens in 2015. Clare Gardens is a sustainable, organic farm-to-table project that offers an orchard, host of beehives, hens, and composting of food waste. Clare Gardens occupies 18 acres at the Catholic Ecology Center in Neosho, Wisconsin.

From the beginning, the mission of Clare Gardens has been to develop a production-based farm that provides fresh, healthy, clean food to our residents. We have succeeded in this and have expanded our reach in the past few seasons. We have offered seedling sales, Pop-up Farmers Markets, on-farm luncheons and tours, and farm to table dinners. We have worked with local producers supplementing our offerings to include local beef, sweet corn, and honey. We’ve partnered with Mount Mary University dietetics students both through classroom instruction and with on farm workdays. On less than three acres of land we have grown nearly 98,000 pounds of food including 24,473 pounds last year alone, a fifty percent increase over our previous record in 2020.

One of the reasons that 2022 was so successful was we began to hit our stride after years of developing

We are also able to expand our flower and herb production, something we hope to continue in the coming years.

– Anna Metscher

Clare Gardens Farm Manager

systems on the farm in Burlington. Working with the kitchens to grow the correct amount of the best varieties so that little goes to waste has been something the kitchen staff and I take great pride in. Advancements in infrastructure allowed us to grow more food and store it to effectively. For the first time, we were able to deliver produce into March due to our upgraded walk-in cooler. The construction of our own greenhouse to grow our own seedlings allows us to start healthier, more vigorous transplants and gives us the freedom to try new varieties. 

Milwaukee Catholic Home Introduces the Navigator Program, Continued...

with services while simultaneously supporting the development and implementation of a plan of care. The Navigator also acts as a liaison between staff in the various care settings, ensuring a smooth transition among care settings or back in the greater community.

The role of the Navigator brings a wide scope of benefits to those served,” says Michelle Lammers, Director of Community Outreach. “The Navigator will be present at team meetings as a resident advocate, connect residents to internal and external resources, and develop a robust understanding of a resident’s unique situation. It’s going to make a huge, positive impact on the lives of our residents!”

“At Milwaukee Catholic Home, we enrich the lives of older adults in support of each of our Five Pillars of Whole Person Wellness: Social Engagement, Cognitive Health, Physical Health, Nutrition, and Spiritual Wellness. While this philosophy of service, A Life Engaged™, is evident is part of everything we do, we always strive to do better,” says Emma Lewis, Social Worker at Milwaukee Catholic Home. Our mission is to provide genuine comfort and care not only to our beloved residents, but to those closest to them. Our Navigator Program provides the necessary support and guidance helping guide individuals through what can be a scary, difficult time. 

at Our Lady of the Angels Convent

Milwaukee Catholic Home began management services at Our Lady of the Angels Convent in June 2022. Located in Greenfield, Wisconsin, Our Lady of the Angels Convent (OLA) is a 48-unit religious community sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the School Sisters of St. Francis.

Specifically designed to serve their community members living with memory loss, Everyday Amazing, plays an integral role in enriching the lives of residents, family, staff, and the surrounding community.

Everyday Amazing is a whole-person, evidence-based and research driven approach to delivering exceptional memory care services, educating our staff and community, and supporting those effected by or dealing with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia.

“We have a multidisciplinary team running this program at OLA with backgrounds in recreation, nursing, social work, art and music therapies and administration,” says Taylor Smith, Administrator at OLA. “We are grateful for the support of The Ray and Kay Eckstein Foundation and Johnson Financial Group, who have each recently donated to support Everyday Amazing.” 

IN HONOR OF...

Mrs. Rohini Desai

• Ms. Pamela Knackert

Mrs. Ann F. Helfer

• Dr. and Mrs. Brian Peters

Mrs. Jean Jermain

• Mr. William M. Jermain III

Mr. Patrick Shaughnessy

• Mrs. Marie Neumann

IN MEMORY OF...

Mr. Michael Bykowski

• Lynden Logistics, Inc.

Mrs. Gretchen Connolly

• Mr. and Mrs. Paul S. Connolly

Mrs. Pat Crowley Powers

• Mr. and Mrs. Julian D’espositio

Mr. Gerry Franzen

• The National Organization of Theater Goers of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan

Mrs. Joan Elizabeth Gehrke

• Ms. Marsha Burr

Miss Oza Holmes

• The Pauline Redmond Coggs Foundation

Mrs. Jean Huyler

• Ms. Barbara J. Bojarski

Mr. William Jermain Jr.

• Mr. William M. Jermain III

Mr. Kenneth Judy

• Mr. and Mrs. John Desing

• Mr. and Mrs. Wayne Gerlach

• Ms. Sandra Helinski

• Mrs. Pauline Judy

• Mr. Gail Langenfeld

• Mr. and Mrs. Dean Lex

• Ms. Denise M. Lukasik-Sedmak

• Mr. and Mrs. Gary Stelpflug